Improvement in school-desks



D. JACKSON.- School-Desk.

No. 222,190,. Patented Dec. 2,1879.

373-6" 3 xi /2 7 6 Q 'nv; 01'

#122 442. Attorney.

UNITED STATES 1 PATENT OFFIG DAVID-JACKSON,"OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVE MENT lN SCH 00 L- D ES KS.

Specification forming partof Letters Patent No. 222,190, dated December 2, 1879; applicationfiled March 19, 1879.

hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and usethe same,

reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference'marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to school-furniture; and the object of it is to simplify and cheapen the methods now in use for securing the woodwork to the frames or standards of school desks or settees; andithe'invention consists of standards having square tongues provided with key-seats, in combination with the slats or other wood-work having square grooves fastened on the standards by keys inserted in the seats and embedded in-the wooden substance of the slats, as hereinafter fully described, and as shownjin the drawings, in which Figure l is a plan view of a school-desk seatarm with slats attached. Fig. 2 is-a side view of the same. Fig, 3 is a transverse section on line 00 a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 4is aperspective view of one end of a slat detached. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of the keys detached, shaped like headless nails; andFig. 6 is aview showing a slat fastened by a round key.

A represents the slats provided with square grooves a.- B is a seat-arm having the square tongue b, provided on onegside with a triangular recess, 0, as a seat-for the key d. Both sides of the tongue may be provided with a key-seat to insert a key on each side; but a recess on the inner side of the tongue on each standard and seat-arm I consider suflicient and preferable.

In setting up a school desk or settee, the lower slat of the back or the back slat of the seat being adjusted in place with the tongue in the groove, the key'is inserted in the key-seat recess a, as shownin Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, and as the key is driven to its place it is embedded in the wooden slat, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, thus securely fastenin g the slat in place, and each remaining slat is adjusted and secured in like manner, except the front slat on the seat-arm and the upper slat of the back, which are adjusted and secured as follows: 'The key to slat next to the front or top slats is not driven entirely in, but allowed to project sufficiently to be embedded in the inner edge of the front or top slat, re-' spectively, as it is driven down to its place upon the standard, and is still further secured by a screw, as shown at fin Fig. 2 of the draw-- ings.

I am aware that school-desks have been constructed with tongues on the seat-arms and standards and grooves in the wood-work; but such tongues and grooves were not square, but dovetailed on one or both sides, andhence required greater care and exactness inconstruction to secure the proper fit and adjlistment of the two parts. In my desk the key will tighten and securely hold the slats upon the standards, notwithstanding such variations from a true line or size as there may be in the construction of the tongues and grooves, and the manufacture of desks or settees having square tongues on the standardsand square grooves in the wood-work is less expensive than desks having dovetailed tongues and grooves.

In setting up desks having the dovetail tongues and grooves constructed to fit tightly, it is necessary to start each slat at the end of the dovetail tongue and drive it on and along the entire length of the tongue, which is a slow and hence expensive process, often resulting in breaking or splitting the slats from the grooves outward to the end. By my construction these difficulties are avoided.

In setting up my desk the slats are placed directly upon the standard, each inits proper place, and secured, as described, by the'keys, enabling an unskilled person to readily and quickly set up the desk.

By placing the keys. in the key-seat recesses on the inner sides of the tongues the wood is less liable to be broken or split out than it would be if the recesses and keys were on the outer sides of the tongues.

It is readily understood that a straight groove, made by'groovin g-saws or other means, in the slats is less expensive than Inakin g dovetailed grooves, the latter requiring special standards provided with the square tongues b and the recesses c, in combination with the wooden slats A, having the square grooves a, and secured in place by the keys 11, inserted in the recesses and embedded in the wood-work, substantially as and for the purposes described. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own invention I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID J AOKSON. Witnesses:

J. 1i. HODGES, A. P. LAUTERMAN. 

